Superheroes Books - Page 2

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 120 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Proving that mainstream comics could be infused with past literary/cultural ideals and still be bestsellers, the America's Best Comics imprint took the dilapidated superhero genre and created three vastly entertaining hybrids with Tom Strong, Promethea and Top Ten. Now, a stunning coup de grace is delivered with this masterful pairing of Victorian adventure fiction's greatest characters and the old war-horse of the super-group. With the stunning The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it would be no exaggeration to say that Alan Moore has produced a near-perfect piece of adventure fiction that is clever, literate, rich with excitement and hard to put down.It's 1898 and at the behest of M, the mysterious head of the secret Service, Campion Bond is dispatched to procure the services of Miss Mina Murray (nee Harker), adventurer Allan Quartermain, "Science-Pirate" Captain Nemo, Henry Jekyll (and his monstrous alter ego) and Hawley Griffin (a.k.a. the Invisible Man). Together, they must combat an insidious threat that will decide supremacy of the London skies, but their success may unleash a far greater threat. With no shortage of action, Moore and O' Neill sustain a high level of suspense, intrigue, mystery and terrific wit that all contribute to an indispensable read. O'Neill's art, so memorable in Marshal Law, produces a London filled with vivid, magnificent architecture and a malevolent atmosphere ripe with thrills and danger. An unmitigated triumph--pure and simple. --Danny Graydon

Wanted

Mark Millar, J.G. Jones

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 87 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

It's Life, Jim, But Not As We Know It 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Oh. My. Gosh. This is NASTY! It's messed up on so many levels! There's so much profanity I wanted to wash not just MY mouth out with soap, but my eyes and my brain too! It's VIOLENT, GORY, TWISTED, SHOCKING-you get the point.
So why 5 stars? Because it's possibly, in my 7 short months of introducing graphic novels to my reading menu, the best one I've read so far. It's an NC-17 (rated by me) masterpiece. It's a cross between Fight Club (the novel; I've heard the movie is way too violent) and the brilliant (1st) Matrix movie.
So what's a nice, fluffy, Disney movie watching, cookie baking girl like me reading a book like this? Because I sometimes fantasize about doing this kind of stuff (not that I would. Ever. I've seen CSI. And I'll always be one of the good guys.) Also, my eyeballs got sucked out of my head, stuck on the book and insisted on rolling all over it (despite occasional nausea)-page by page-it's THAT compelling.
So the brilliant story, told in six excellent chapters is about this guy Wesley Gibson (who looks not unlike Eminem), with whom I think a lot of folks can identify. His life SUCKS: The lousy job, the joke of a relationship, that Groundhog Day feeling and the fact that he's spineless. And then his estranged dad gets his brains blown out and Wes gets forcibly taken into the fold of this secret super-villain society by a Halle Berry lookalike called The Fox: To inherit the $10 mill and find out who killed him, Wes must take pop's place as 'The Killer'.

I went into this without any preconceived notions (i.e. no clue) which kept things nice and simple, so that's all the plot detail you're getting from me: You will be floored by the stings in the tail! I will throw in a few more adjectives though-it's SMART, SARDONIC (a word I came across while looking up-) SATIRICAL.
I liked the device of the protagonist bonding instantly to the reader with his 'This is me...' captions, reminiscent of the opening to American Beauty.
With all the other characters, the reader is a fly on the wall.
Not only are we talking a about a strong original story here, it's delivery is flawless throughout. The artwork is excellent-clear, uncluttered and real looking, like any moment the ink will melt away to reveal a live-action image, you know?

Is it 'own-worthy'? Hell YEAH! If a) you don't have or can keep it locked away from impressionable, warp-able kids and b) you don't mind blood, guts, 'waste' and more swearing than all the Lethal Weapon and Die Hard movies combined, and c) it's THAT time of the month (seriously, this is really good for PMS-you'll feel so much better.)

I so have to see the movie now...

Editorial Review:

What if everything in your life was out of your hands and those around you propelled your fate? Your girlfriend left you for your best friend; your boss gave your job to someone better. What if then, after all this, someone gave you back total control? What if he revealed you were the next in line to join a secret society of super-villians that controlled the entire planet? Mark Millar and J.G. Jones provide a look at one man who goes from being the world's biggest loser to the deadliest assassin alive. The most talked-about superhero series of the year is now collected in this stunning hardcover edition! Mark Millar examines what happens when absolute power does corrupt absolutely, and everyman Wesley Gibson inherits incredible powers.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 88 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

worst of the LOEG graphic novels... 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I usually don't write these reviews much, but I had to have my say. I felt bamboozled after reading this graphic novel. The first two had a sense of adventure, imagination and took the reader on a unusual journey that was just plain fun along the way, at least for myself. After reading the Black Dossier I felt that the writers and artists threw this together in a couple of days to receive a hefty paycheck. No imagination or fun, it was like watching a "made for tv" movie. This will probably be my last Alan Moore graphic novel; if the rest of his career he throws up this "dreck" I will wait for more of his stories to be made into movies, at least then I may have only wasted 4 dollars at the video store instead of almost [...] bucks.

Editorial Review:

England in the mid 1950s is not the same as it was. The powers that be have instituted...some changes. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen have been disbanded and disavowed, and the country is under the control of an iron-fisted regime. Now, after many years, the still youthful Mina Murray and a rejuvenated Allan Quatermain return and are in search of some answers. Answers that can only be found in a book buried deep in the vaults of their old headquarters, a book that holds the key to the hidden history of the League throughout the ages: The Black Dossier. As Allan and Mina delve into the details of their precursors, some dating back centuries, they must elude their dangerous pursuers who are Hell-bent on retrieving the lost manuscript... and ending the League once and for all.

Batman: Dark Victory

Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Worthy Long Halloween Followup 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Dark Victory expands upon The Long Halloween, and has a story interesting enough to please fans of Loeb's original Batman-mob story. Robin isn't played heavily, which is a good thing for me, but any Batman fans should pick this up.

Wonderful Seller! In perfect condition! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It was just what my husband wanted, in perfect condition and half the price of the trendy comic stores! I am extremely happy!

Jarryd 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Paired with "The Long Halloween" this is one of the best graphic novel series I've read. The illustrations are phenominal and the story works very well introducing Batmans greatest foes in with the realistic mob villians.

Strong Sequel to Long Halloween 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I thought it was pretty good. I guess its hard for me to get into the whole batman vs the mafia(godfather) story in both novels, but it was written so well I was addicted and flew through them.

The only complaint I could have would be that the "freaks" parts fell short. I know that we all know about their back stories and if they went deeper into the freaks it would be like retelling what we all know already, but isn't that what we all love?

I mean for me there just wasn't enough depth to the Joker, or Freeze, who both have great back stories and personality. Characters like Poison Ivy, Penguin, and Scarecrow barely had any lines. They felt more like small parts and I thought they were taken out and down way too easily. They hardly had a deep plan or sinister actions that we are used to.

With a title like Dark Victory, I guess I expected a little more darkness from the freaks, at one point Joker comes close, but falls short.

The Death of Captain America, Vol. 3: The Man Who Bought America (v. 3)

Ed Brubaker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Spectacular 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Ed Brubaker's epic Death of Captain America trilogy comes to a conclusion with The Man Who Bought America, which brings the Red Skull's conspiracy to a head. With Bucky adjusting to his new role as the new Captain America, he and Falcon attempt to take the fight directly to the Red Skull and his minions, with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter's life hanging in the balance. Things get even more complicated however when the Skull unleashes a new element to his devious plot, and no one is more surprised than Bucky when it appears that someone else is running around in a Captain America costume, and appears to be none other than Steve Rogers. Or so you would think. As I've said many times before, I was one of the few readers who didn't think Brubaker's run on the title since its relaunch is as brilliant as everyone claims it to be, but over the past year or so, I became a believer. There are so many little nuances and surprises abound that you manage to stay on the edge of your seat during the entire read. Steve Epting provides more solid artwork as well, helping further cement the status of his run with Brubaker as being THE definitive Captain America team. All in all, Ed Brubaker continues his prolific run on Captain America, and here's hoping what he has in store next for the title continues the greatness.

Editorial Review:

The saga of the new Captain America continues! He's doing his best to carry on the legacy of Steve Rogers, but things go from bad to worse for Bucky Barnes when the Red Skull makes an unexpected move for the very soul of America! Collects Captain America #37-42.

The Umbrella Academy Volume 1 (v. 1)

Gerard Way

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An interesting experiment. 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

One could be forgiven for expecting that a comic miniseries by one of the members of the band "My Chemical Romance" would be a gratuitous vanity project. That is, however, not the case. While I do not rate is as highly as many others here do, Gerard Way has produced a genuine story, with nice art by indie favourite Gabriel Ba (also known for Matt Fraction's Image series "Casanova").

As the description says, an unexplained global phenomenon saw numerous children born to women who had not previously shown signs of pregnancy. Seven of these are adopted by an eccentric millionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (secretly a space alien), and raised to fight evil. This is the classic superhero setup of the X-Men. Well, it is, and it isn't. Way subverts some of the basic idea, particularly regarding the Professor X figure, Hargreeves (aka The Monocle). Hargreeves is a cold and demanding person who is not interested in providing the children with a genuine father figure; he is merely their boss. He even refers to the children by numbers, rather than names (their names are supplied by the 'mother' he deigned to provide, an animated clothes dummy; the kids are split in how they treat her, with some accepting her, while the rebelious Diego sees her as just another layer of artifice in their upbringing). Hargreeves' parental neglect is the catalyst for the primary villain plot, revolving around #7, Vanya, who has no powers, and thus was just not "special" as Hargreeves tells her directly. However, she may indeed have some purpose for an eccentric villain out to bring about the end of the world.

Way's style has been compared to Grant Morrison (who provided strong praise for the series, and an introduction to this trade paperback), and, indeed, one can draw strong comparisons between this series and Morrison's "JLA". High concepts are thrown out quite frequently, there is a lot of action, and there isn't a huge amount of characterization. The two most interesting powers concepts are the White Violin, the weird villain of the piece, and, even moreso, those of Allison/The Rumour, who can literally warp reality by lying (most clearly demonstrated in a bonus story included in this collection written for Free Comic Book Day).

Recommended for people interested in a Morrison-esque superhero experience.

Editorial Review:

Gerard Way, of My Chemical Romance, makes his comics writing debut in this outrageous superhero epic that Grant Morrison called "An ultraviolet psychedelic sherbet bomb of wit and ideas. The superheroes of the 21st century are here at last..." In an inexplicable, worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born by women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world." These seven children form The Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again

Heroes, Vol. 2

R. D. Hall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Good, but could be better 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book has all the graphic novels from the time-frame from when season one ended to when season two would have ended if not for the writer's strike. That's basically all it has in it. There are Isaac Mendez paintings spaced throughout, but no commentaries or extra info or anything beyond the graphic novels. The novels are good and I love having them in a hardback form, but I was hoping to be rewarded with something extra.

the picture of the Heroes Vol 2 DVD is not what we received 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I can't review the movie, because what was sent to me was a book... A book that I didn't even know existed. Needless to say, my son was not thrilled to receive the book, and I have not heard back from the sender yet as to why this purchase wasn't better advertised as a book rather than a DVD. Perhaps website should be more clear as to exactly what it is you are selling. Even when opening the book, there was nothing on the wrapper, no stickers, etc. to indicate it was a book. Honestly, I thought it was a special DVD edition with a small book included. But no. Very disappointing. I'd really like to return it if the seller would return my messages.

Bat-Manga! (Limited Hardcover Edition): The Secret History of Batman in Japan

Chip Kidd

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The two hottest genres in comics gleefully collide head-on, as the most beloved American superhero gets the coolest Japanese manga makeover ever.

In 1966, during the height of the first Batman craze, a weekly Japanese manga anthology for boys, Shonen King, licensed the rights to commission its own Batman and Robin stories. A year later, the stories stopped. They were never collected in Japan, and never translated into English. Now, in this gorgeously produced book, hundreds of pages of Batman-manga comics more than four decades old are translated for the first time, appearing alongside stunning photographs of the world’s most comprehensive collection of vintage Japanese Batman toys.

This is The Dynamic Duo as you’ve never seen them: with a distinctly Japanese, atomic-age twist as they battle aliens, mutated dinosaurs, and villains who won’t stay dead. And as a bonus: Jiro Kuwata, the manga master who originally wrote and drew this material, has given an exclusive interview for our book.

The deluxe, expanded, and limited hardcover edition has a distinctly different cover, full-color printed endpapers, and an amazing extra adventure written by Jiro Kuwata (not included in the paperback), about a band of rogue alien robot art thieves at large in Gotham City. Guess who gets called in to save the day....

More than just a dazzling novelty, Bat-Manga! is an invaluable, long-lost chapter in the history of one of the most beloved and timeless figures in comics.

Civil War

Mark Millar

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Trash 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Let's get this out of the way: Millar writes some good action scenes. This is what he became known for, with his run on The Authority and Ultimates. That was a strong point for his "widescreen," post-modern superhero stories. One of the many glaring issues with Civil War is that he brings the same sensibilities to the Marvel Universe - and it's awful. The Captain America here is the one he created from the Ultimates, a crazed militant jerk, not the noble hero we read in, say, Brubaker's current run.

And every character is similar. For all the plot's faults (more on that later), it's Millar's awful, awful characterization that really brings the book down. Every character is a complete jerk who only speaks in sarcastic quips, and blindly follows whatever 'side' they've chosen. Iron Man manipulates everyone around him; Peter Parker outs himself (!); Hank Pym is a villain; Sue Storm.... oh man, I don't even want to go there. Characters chose their sides seemingly at random, and blindly duke it out with their best friends. The Punisher especially is laughable. And this of course is on top of Millar's awful dialogue.

And then there's the plot. Like most everything else about this book, it's awful. Besides the fact that it's a ridiculous allegory for modern times, the pacing really throws everything off, with each conflict escalating and escalating until it's just numbing after a while. The final issue, perhaps the worst, throws in random characters from other Civil War stories, be it Namor or Captain Marvel or whomever, without any clear explanation as to what they're doing there and why. Throw in a needless death or two, a CLONE, a couple of deus ex machinas, and perhaps the most unsatisfying, illogical ending I've ever read, and there you have it: Civil War.

The art is perhaps the best thing about this, but it is somewhat overrated. The colors and inks are fantastic, and that's certainly a good thing with so many characters popping in and out at random. The action scenes are nice too. But look closer at the non-action scenes, and you'll find ridiculously hyperbolic expressions that could only match Millar's over-the-top dialogue. Cover up the word balloons for a minute, and just look at it; some of it is seriously ridiculous, especially for a comic that claims to be so grounded in the 'real world.'


It's hard to be objective in reviewing Civil War, because my memory of it is also laced with the crippling delays, and the other trash that writers like JMS and Bendis were putting out at the time. But make no mistake; the dialogue is awful, the characterizations are completely off, the plot is full of laughably lame devices, and the art... well, ok, the art is nice in some parts, but not nearly enough to make up for it.

Highly recommended for you to avoid.

Editorial Review:

The landscape of the Marvel Universe is changing, and it's time to choose: Whose side are you on? A conflict has been brewing from more than a year, threatening to pit friend against friend, brother against brother - and all it will take is a single misstep to cost thousands their lives and ignite the fuse! As the war claims its first victims, no one is safe as teams, friendships and families begin to fall apart. The crossover that rewrites the rules, Civil War stars Spider-Man, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the entirety of the Marvel pantheon! Collects Civil War #1-7 and Marvel Spotlight: Civil War.

The Boys Vol. 3: Good for the Soul

Garth Ennis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Back 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After a so so second collection, this 3rd trade puts the Boys back on track. Especially with Robertson on full art duties. This collection really explains a lot about the Boys and the Seven and a bit of the history of Garth's anti superhero universe. Lots of cursing, sex and adult situations all around, so keep this one away from the kids. Things are getting good as the Boys get close to the halfway point of their projected run.

Editorial Review:

In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone's got to make sure the "supes" don't get out of line. And someone will. Billy Butcher, Wee Hughies, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman and the Female are The Boys: a CIA-backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth-superpower. Some superheroes have to be watched. Some have to be controlled. And some of them-sometimes need to be taken out of the picture. That's when you call in The Boys. This volume collects issues 15-22 of the Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.